The day after the Angels lost the Oakland Athletics in a 2-1 ballgame that would make the Halos 64-72 on the season a costly mistake cost Andrew Velazquez his spot on the Angels' roster.
In the top of the 7th in a one-run ballgame Velazquez pinch-ran for Eduardo Escobar after a leadoff single. Velazquez stole second base but got too greedy as he went for third getting thrown out by the catcher.
The baserunning error took a runner out of scoring position and the Angels would end up scoring nothing that inning and losing the ballgame.
The day after, Velazquez was sent down and Phil Nevin provided insight into the move.
"Although Nevin said the move wasn’t entirely because of that mistake, he acknowledged that Velazquez needs to do a better job with fundamentals. His first-inning error in a game last month in Texas prompted Nevin’s dugout tirade about “focus.”"
Andrew Velazquez is having a terrible 2023 season to go along with an awful Angels career in these last two years.
In both years combined Velazquez is hitting a .191 average with a .542 OPS. The biggest asset he brings to the table is his baserunning and defense. But getting back to the basics also included making smart decisions and stealing third in that situation was not smart.
“When you’re in the role you are, that Squid has been in, coming in late in games, those mistakes becoming glaring,” Nevin said, referring to the baserunning mistake. “They need to be discussed. Quite frankly, they just can’t happen.”
Velazquez's roster spot was filled in by returning backstop Matt Thaiss.
The Angels are 64-73 and look to finish the year with some strong performances from some new faces.
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